{"id":64341,"date":"2025-07-14T07:55:16","date_gmt":"2025-07-14T07:55:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/64341\/"},"modified":"2025-07-14T07:55:16","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T07:55:16","slug":"6-leonardo-dicaprio-movies-that-are-masterpieces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/64341\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Leonardo DiCaprio Movies That Are Masterpieces"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leonardo DiCaprio<\/strong> has done pretty much everything a modern-day actor could do, genre-wise, aside from anything superhero-related\u2026 yet<\/a>. They might get him one day, like the last human left alive in a Body Snatchers<\/strong><\/a>-style film. But otherwise, he\u2019s done blockbusters, more independent films, crime movies, action flicks, and Westerns, among various other genres. Not all of these movies have been slam-dunks, as shown by the likes of J. Edgar<\/strong><\/a> and The Beach<\/strong>, but there aren\u2019t too many outright stinkers (give or take a Critters 3<\/strong>). He\u2019s been taking on film roles since the 1990s, and really started pushing himself as an actor by the time the 2000s came around, as Gangs of New York<\/strong><\/a> and Catch Me If You Can<\/strong><\/a> help demonstrate.<\/p>\n

That kicked off the \u201cI need an Oscar\u201d phase of his career, or at least that\u2019s what it looked like from the outside: Leonardo DiCaprio going full throttle in a bunch of high-profile and big roles that kept getting nominated without scoring a win, but that changed thanks to a 2015 release that’ll get mentioned in a bit. What follows is an attempt to highlight the movies of his that can be considered masterpieces, or otherwise feel very close to perfect. These are either the classics he\u2019s been in, or the movies he\u2019s starred in that’ll one day be old enough to be classics. Some say it takes about 25 years<\/a> for that to happen; for something to be a classic<\/strong>. But we shall see.<\/p>\n

6 <\/p>\n

‘Inception’ (2010)<\/p>\n

Directed by Christopher Nolan<\/p>\n

\"Leonardo<\/p>\n

Image via\u00a0Warner Bros.<\/p>\n

Best defined as a psychological heist movie<\/a>, Inception<\/strong><\/a> isn’t about stealing something, instead focusing on a mission to implant something. Specifically, the characters here want to plant an idea in a target\u2019s subconscious, which involves infiltrating his mind and battling through various obstacles that exist within. It\u2019s a wild concept for a movie, but Christopher Nolan<\/strong> has a knack for taking ideas that could be disastrous in lesser hands and shaping those ideas into phenomenal \u2013 and large-scale \u2013 movies. When he \u201cmisfires,\u201d he still delivers something that\u2019s engaging, inventive, and kind of admirable (see the divisive Tenet<\/strong><\/a>), and when he hits, he hits hard.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a great ensemble cast here, and a further argument to be made that Nolan is the star of the movie more than any of the (still great) actors he directs.<\/p>\n

Inception is one of those Nolan heavy-hitters<\/a>, standing as one of his best films to date. And DiCaprio is great as the lead character here, taking charge of the whole mind infiltration\/heist mission. There\u2019s also a great ensemble cast here, and a further argument to be made that Nolan is the star of the movie more than any of the (still great) actors he directs<\/strong>, but that\u2019s okay. The acting wouldn\u2019t necessarily need to be great for Inception to still deliver as an action\/sci-fi film<\/a>, but thankfully, the acting does happen to be good, and the cast helps push Inception beyond \u201cmere\u201d greatness.<\/p>\n

\"inception-movie-poster.jpg\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tInception
\n\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\n Release Date<\/strong>\n <\/dt>\n
\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJuly 16, 2010<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n

\n Runtime<\/strong>\n <\/dt>\n
\n

\t\t\t\t148 minutes<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

5 <\/p>\n

‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ (2019)<\/p>\n

Directed by Quentin Tarantino<\/p>\n

\"Leonardo<\/p>\n

Image via Sony Pictures Releasing<\/p>\n

There isn’t a great deal that happens<\/a> in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood<\/strong><\/a>, but that\u2019s okay, because it thrives as a hang-out movie. And it does explode into something later on, in a way that could be described as a plot twist<\/a>, at least twisting expectations of what might happen for those who know their Hollywood history. That\u2019s because Once Upon a Time in Hollywood takes place at the tail end of the 1960s and involves quite a few real-world people as its side characters, though the focus is on two fictional people: a washed-up actor who\u2019s struggling to stay relevant (Leonardo DiCaprio), and his loyal stuntman\/closest friend (Brad Pitt<\/strong>)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

They both navigate a changing industry, overcoming certain challenges, but also, as mentioned before, kind of just hanging out. When Once Upon a Time in Hollywood does take off, the point of it all does reveal itself, but even before then, it\u2019s still a surprisingly fun movie. Pitt and DiCaprio are both fantastic<\/a>, and the rest of the cast is stacked<\/a><\/strong>, too, especially when it comes to actors who were up-and-coming in the late 2010s, but pretty much A-listers come the 2020s. Anyway, good stuff. DiCaprio is also great in another Quentin Tarantino movie, Django Unchained<\/strong><\/a>, but that one ends on a bit too much of a whimper<\/a> to be considered a masterpiece (it\u2019s really strong up until that awkwardly placed second climax).<\/p>\n

4 <\/p>\n

‘The Revenant’ (2015)<\/p>\n

Directed by Alejandro Gonz\u00e1lez I\u00f1\u00e1rritu<\/p>\n

\"Hugh<\/p>\n

Image via 20th Century Studios<\/p>\n

There is more to The Revenant<\/strong><\/a> than it simply being the movie that finally got Leonardo DiCaprio his long-awaited Oscar, but given DiCaprio is the man of the hour (well, of the ranking), you do have to mention it. He went all-out here, and it was about as showy and physical a performance as one could possibly imagine. He plays a man who\u2019s left for dead by the people he ends up wanting revenge against. So, the whole thing is about him surviving in the freezing wilderness while also pursuing those he wants dead, making it both a survival and revenge movie rolled into one.<\/p>\n

Well, it\u2019s also a Western, albeit a chillier and more brutal one<\/a> than the majority out there, and it\u2019s furthermore a film that manages to be exciting during some sequences and then rather contemplative and patiently paced (though never relaxing) during other stretches. The Revenant is undeniably a hectic ride of a film, and a far from easy one to watch, given how raw and gruesome it can get<\/a>, but DiCaprio\u2019s performance \u2013 at least the sheer commitment to it \u2013 lives up to the hype<\/strong>. Also, Tom Hardy<\/strong> makes for a pretty great villain<\/a>, and him being in the cast alongside DiCaprio makes this a bit of an Inception reunion.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tThe Revenant
\n\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\n Release Date<\/strong>\n <\/dt>\n
\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDecember 25, 2015<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n

\n Runtime<\/strong>\n <\/dt>\n
\n

\t\t\t\t156 minutes<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n